Liverpool agree £10m deal for Juventus signing Federico Chiesa | Liverpool

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Federico Chiesa from Juventus for £10million plus £2.5million in add-ons, with the forward travelling to Merseyside for a medical.

The 26-year-old Italy international operates primarily as a winger or second striker and if the deal completes as expected, he will become Arne Slot’s second signing as Liverpool manager, following Tuesday’s €30 million takeover. capture of Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia. The Georgian goalkeeper will formally move to Anfield, subject to the granting of a work permit and international clearance from the Spanish club before the 2025-26 season.

“I am ready to start this new adventure, I wanted to say goodbye to the Juventus fans,” Chiesa told waiting reporters as he prepared to board a flight from Turin to Liverpool on Wednesday afternoon. “Thank you for your affection and for these years, I will carry you in my heart and thanks to Juventus.

“Is it sad to leave Juve like this? It is sad, but I am really happy with this new adventure. I am really happy and my family and I can’t wait.”

Chiesa’s impending arrival at Liverpool comes as something of a surprise given Slot’s impressive attacking options already at his disposal, namely Mohamed Salah, Luis Díaz, Darwin Núñez, Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo. It is also because Liverpool’s priority this transfer window appeared to be to sign a defensive midfielder, with a move for Spain’s Euro 2024 winner Martín Zubimendi from Real Sociedad falling through earlier this month.

By targeting Chiesa, who was a star of Italy’s triumphant Euro 2020 campaign and scored 32 goals in 131 games for Juventus, including 10 in 37 games last season, it appears Liverpool are seeking to make the type of “opportunistic” signing that their new sporting director, Richard Hughes, claimed was a possibility when speaking to reporters at Slot’s unveiling as head coach in early July. “We need to improve the training ground first and foremost, as Arne said. With the window open, we will always be opportunistic if we can,” Hughes said.

Chiesa’s father, Enrico, was a striker who also played for Italy in the mid- to late-1990s, scoring seven goals in 17 international matches.